JOWBR Update

This update adds over 120,000 new records and 49,000 new photos. The database is adding 182 new cemeteries along with updates or additions to an additional 130 cemeteries from 26 countries. Since last year’s conference, JOWBR has added close to 300,000 records to the database which brings JOWBR’s holdings to 1.7 million records from more than 3,200 cemeteries / cemetery sections from 51 countries! (Although the burial records are now “live” additional description files, maps and overview photos for these new cemeteries will be made available shortly.)

Once again, you will see that the donors for this update include a mix of individuals, Jewish genealogical societies, historical societies and museums. We appreciate all our donor’s submissions and the transliteration work done by a faithful group of JewishGen volunteers. Of particular note in this update are the following additions:

Star of David, North. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Thanks to the joint efforts of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Broward County (JGSBC) www.jgsbc.org (Coordinator - Susan Steinfeld) and Record-A-Grave www.recordagrave.com (Coordinator - Jon Andersen) we are adding almost 30,000 records and photo from many of the cemeteries sections.

Lodz, Poland. Thanks to a dedicated team of data entry and validation volunteers, we are adding the final installment of approximately 19,000 records to those that are currently live. JOWBR now includes approximately 70,500 records from the “Organization of Former Residents of Lodz in Israel” burial registers. These records will also be added to the JRI-Poland database.

Mt. Carmel, Philadelphia, PA. Thanks to the efforts of James Gross and the JGS of Greater Philadelphia for obtaining and submitting the cemetery indexing work of Eagle Scout Ian Montgomery.

San Diego / Oceanside, CA Thanks to Roberta Berman and the San Diego Genealogical Society for submitting approximately 6,600 records from 6 cemeteries in the San Diego area.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Thanks to Ada Green for indexing the largest Jewish Cemetery in Vancouver, 4,300 records, and updating 5 other area cemeteries. Ada has also updated NY area cemeteries with Nadworner and Bialystoker plots. Total new submitted records, approximately 6,500.

Columbus / Bellaire, OH and West Virginia Thanks to Jules Duga for continuing to submit records from Columbus area cemeteries. This update contains approximately 7,399 records from 13 cemeteries.

Arlington National Cemetery. Thanks to Harvey Kabaker and the JGS of Greater Washington for their final installment of burials and photos from Arlington National Cemetery bringing the total to 5,200.

Satu Mare, Romania. Thanks to Alexander Huzau for submitting over 4,500 records from the Orthodox and Staus Quo Ante cemeteries in Satu Mare.

Ottawa, Canada. Thanks to John Diener and the JGS of Ottawa for submitting approximately 4,500 records from the Jewish Memorial Garden cemeteries and Bank Street cemeteries in Ottawa.

Czernovitsi, Ukraine. Thanks to Bruce Reich and the JGS of Ottawa for submitting an additional 3,600 records and photos bringing the total for the Czernovitsi Cemetery to more than 16,000.

Richmond, VA. Thanks Congregation Beth Ahabah (http://www.bethahabah.org/hebrew-cemetery.htm) for submitting 2,700 records for the Hebrew Cemetery in Richmond along with the cemetery’s Confederate Section, “the only Jewish military cemetery in the world outside of Israel.”

Youngstown, OH. Thanks to Marcia Levy for coordinating the receipt of 1,200 records from the Children of Peace cemetery in Youngstown, OH.

Germany / Poland. Thanks to David Lewin for submitting more than 1,000 records from various cemeteries in Germany and Poland.

Nassau / Suffolk, Long Island, NY. Thanks to the Jewish Genealogy Society of Long Island for updates to all the Long Island cemeteries originally submitted 5 years ago.

New Countries.

Barbados and Suriname. Thanks Todd Knowles for submitting records for the Jewish Burial Grounds in Barbados and the Cassipora Creek Cemetery and Old Sephardi cemeteries in Suriname.

Kenya. Thanks to David Lichtenstein and Charles Szlapak for submitting records from 3 Kenyan cemeteries as a result of a conversation started by Avigdor Ben-Dov on the JG Discussion List regarding Jewish cemeteries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Eritrea. Thanks to Mae Goder, Sami Cohen and Mansoor Cohen for their work at the Asmara Jewish Cemetery.

Jewish Veterans – Nationwide. Thanks to Hershel Sheiness for submitting burial records for Jewish veterans interred in National Cemeteries around the country.

Whether your name or records are listed above, we appreciate all your submissions! Thank you to all the donors that submitted information for this update.

We appreciate all the work our donors have done and encourage you to make additional submissions. Whether you work on a cemetery / cemetery section individually or consider a group project for your local Society, temple or other group, it’s your submissions that help grow the JOWBR database and make it possible for researchers and family members to find answers they otherwise might not. Please also consider other organizations you may be affiliated with that may already have done cemetery indexing that would consider having their records included in the JOWBR database.